The Goodnight Kiss
by SerenitysBelly
Summary: Takes place at the very end of "Our Mrs. Reynolds". My take on what might've happened had Mal seen the truth of the situation with Inara's bump on the head. He surprises himself, finding something he'd lost long before during the war. One shot.


A/N: I was rewatchving the series and this got planted in my head. It takes place at the end of _Our Mrs. Reynolds_. My take on what might've happened had Mal not been so dense, and realized Inara kissed not Saffron, but him. If feels good to finally get it down, so I can continue with my other story, this was distracting me far too much. Just a bit of fluff

Disclaimer: I don't own these beautiful characters, but I can't get enough of them.

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**The Goodnight Kiss**

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"You're a very graceful woman, Inara."

"I... thank you," she smiled almost sheepishly at the compliment.

"So here's where I'm fuzzy: you got by that girl, came and found me, and then you just happened to trip and fall?"

"Wh- what do you mean?" she let confusion cross her face, hoping he wouldn't see through her. He was standing so close, so very close. She could feel warmth coming from him and smell the musk he so often had. There was a tinge of perfume perhaps from his scuffle with that _hu li jing_ who nearly killed them all.

"Come on, Inara," his voice was serious and deep, coming out only on a wisp of a breath, "How's about we don't play. You didn't just trip, did you?"

His look was piercing her façade. She held it and said, conceivably hinting at a little more than she wanted, "No."

It was as if something lit inside of him and he understood. She didn't fall, she didn't trip, and she didn't bump her head. She probably was a little too adamant about the falling story with the drugs clouding her judgment like she drank one cocktail too many. He seemed to shift closer to her than before. It would be so easy to just slide her arm around his neck, pull him to her, and truly get to kiss him, not in a panicked relief as she did before. She bit her lip.

"Well isn't _that _something," he looked at her smugly, "I _knew_ you didn't fall."

"_Wo de tian a_, 'Nara," a small genuine smile worked its way across his face and up to his blue eyes. His hands were in her hair massaging the way to the nape of her neck. She let her mouth fall open slightly and closed her eyes. The touch of a man who truly wanted her was so different from that of a man who had only bought her, even though she'd never say otherwise.

"So kissin' don't count as servicing me or my crew?" he joked with mirth in his voice.

"_Ai ya_, Mal, you've always talked too much," her arm snaked the way around his neck and pulled him downward.

He caught her meaning quickly and took her lips in a kiss. The kiss held her effortlessly on her tiptoes with only his hand cupping the back of her head.

This was so very unlike any of her appointments and she hadn't wanted a man with such a raw passion burning through her since she left Sihnon. The kiss deepened as her thoughts raced so fast it dizzied her. She would have stumbled backwards had he not brought his other hand to the small of her back. Her dizzying thoughts however, caused her to break the kiss anyway. It was over as quickly as it started.

"'Nara," he said breathlessly, "Can't even begin to tell you-"

She cut him short, pulling his lips to hers once again. He inhaled heavily.

The kiss was full of a desire she hadn't felt in a long while. There was something different about it. Want wasn't the only thing pulsing through her here, there was a need too. A strong hunger and pull welled inside of her. Both of her hands were around his neck now.

She knew for a long time she felt something different than just a business relationship towards Mal. Late at night she might find herself thinking about the beauty of him. He was quite a beautiful man, she'd noticed it their first meeting. A man who lost so much in a war, not only a home and a belief, but parts of himself, and he was still so beautiful. Some days were harder than others, she didn't let it show but there were days when a warm embrace or a lingering kiss might've helped. There were days he'd come back shot or wounded, blood staining the fabric of his clothes and seeping between his fingers as Zoe or Jayne helped him walk. She'd stay in her shuttle, unable to bear the sight of him, pale and in pain. When she was lonely, she never sought him out because he could sometimes be so insufferable. However, more often than not he was fascinating to her. He was an enigma who could surprise her at each turn in the path.

Inara forgot where she was and what was happening for a moment and when she opened her eyes Mal was backing her slowly and gently to the bed. The backs of her legs found the mattress and she sank softly into it, reluctantly pulling her lips from his. She tugged at his suspenders to try to bring him to the bed. He looked down at her, thought strong in his eyes and furrowed brow, and took a deep breath.

"Mal," she nearly pleaded, her hands still gripping his suspenders.

This was so singular from her customary encounters. Usually a man held her gaze with a sturdy begging in his eyes, trying to rush her ceremony and ritual. There was a haste to bed her and have her. She was steadfast and held her ground, serving tea and making pleasant talk. The tables had turned so much in a few minutes.

Inara knew he wanted this too. She could read it on his face and in his body. She could feel the heat and desire coming off of him in waves. They crashed into her, feeding her, melting her like the surf melted sandy shore during a storm. She pulled again, harder.

"Inara, I can't just," he stammered, "_Ren ci de shang di_ knows I want to, but gorram." He was having a hard time piecing together words and sat next to her on the bed. She watched his face as he shook his head looking distant, his gape traveling through the shuttle walls.

She reached a hand out to stroke the side of his face and smooth his hair. It was pleasantly soft and silky and the fact of it staggered her. She moved to kiss him again and despite his anxiety, he didn't resist. She slipped from his lips to his cheek and along his jaw. He sighed as she moved just under his jaw bone.

"Mal," she whispered looking deep in his eyes, "I need you."

His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes darted from one spot to another on her face. All of the flawless perfection remained, nothing mussed or smudged, but her lips were slightly swollen.

"'Nara, you're a special lady, and I can't just," he still was stammering unable to make sense of what was happening, "I've thought about this for so long and it's been so," a beat passed, "long."

"It's not something you can forget _bao-bei_."

"You're more'n just a lay for me," he looked down at his feet, "I think I might-" she knew what he was going to say. He looked as stunned as she felt, as if the all of the words he ever had broke out of his mouth taking his breath with him.

"Keep me company," she asked instead. She slid along the bed towards the pillows. He looked relieved and took a deep breath.

He pulled his boots off his feet and turned to lie on the bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, her hand found his chest. Her head was cradled by his shoulder. She breathed in his heady scent fluttering her eyes closed. Mal's arms wrapped around her, holding her tight and not letting go until morning.

Her eyes were shut, but she didn't sleep right away. She thought on the situation. Most men would've had her and been snoring by now. Inara had seen something different in him tonight, there was that raw tensioned passion that was there during the day when they fought or when the crossed paths and their eyes lingered. There was this new side, tentative, beautiful, and sweet, and he seemed surprised by it as much as she was. He found a lost part of himself that night and he held it close to his body, wedged between him and her.

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_Hu li jing_:vixen

_Wo de tian a_: oh my god

_Ai ya_: Aah!, damn, my god

_Ren ci de shang di_: merciful God

_Bao-bei_: sweetheart, darling


End file.
